Southern California -- this just in

Police seek Pacoima burglars who broke through liquor store roof

August 6, 2012 | 3:54
pm

Police asked for the public's help Monday in tracking down three burglars who broke into a Pacoima liquor store by using cinder blocks to smash through the roof.

Investigators on Monday released video of three men burglarizing Country Cousin Liquor at 13040 Glenoaks Blvd. shortly after 4 a.m. Wednesday. The men made off with liquor, cigarettes and cash. All three wore gloves, according to police.

“The video surveillance in this case is first rate,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the Mission Detective Division. “Anyone who knows these guys, especially the guy in the hoodie, should be able to recognize them.”

Police described the three suspects as African American men of medium height and weight between 17 and 25 years old. The suspect who left his jacket also chewed on a portion of it, Vernon said, allowing police to take a DNA sample as part of the investigation.

Vernon praised the store owner for using high-quality video, saying he installed the camera in a spot that captured the burglars' faces.

The Pacoima burglary took place nearly two weeks after a separate, unrelated rooftop break-in at a Koreatown medical marijuana dispensary. In that case, police believe two men removed the skylight from the roof of a building in the 3500 block of West Third Street and entered the dispensary's second-floor bathroom.

In that case, police described the first suspect as a Latino weighing 180 to 200 pounds, with eyeglasses and a thin mustache. The second was described as a Latino weighing 150 to 180 pounds with a shaved head. Both men are believed to be 25 to 30 years old.

That burglary took place July 20. The two men are suspected of taking baggies and jars of marijuana and then leaving through the same opening in the ceiling.

Anyone with information about the dispensary break-in is advised to call burglary detectives at the LAPD's Olympic Division at (213) 382-9440